WASHINGTON, January 19 The Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched in Florida with the manned Dragon spacecraft, it should deliver to the International Space station mission Ax-3 with a crew of four, SpaceX is broadcasting the launch live.
The rocket launched from the Cape Canaveral launch site at 16:49 US East Coast time (00:49 Moscow time). The launch was expected the day before, but was postponed for unspecified reasons – SpaceX reported that specialists needed additional time to prepare for the launch.
The Ax-3 crew, the flight of which is organized by the private company Axiom Space, included Italian pilot Walter Villaday, ESA astronaut, Swedish citizen, Markus Wandt, as well as the first Turkish citizen to fly in space – military pilot Alper Gezeravci. The crew is led by former NASA astronaut and Axiom employee Michael Lopez-Alegria.
The flight proceeds normally – the first stage, after separation from the launch vehicle, made a successful return to Earth, the second stage continued to move with the spacecraft. After separation from it, Dragon continues to move towards the ISS. The ship's docking with the station is expected on Saturday, approximately at 13:15 Moscow time. Space tourists will remain in orbit for about two weeks, during which they will take part in the scientific work of the station.
Recent Comments